"Almost had you forgotten this," he said; "and I think you will want it."
The men with the money were there, and he waved his hand to them.
Havelok lifted the princess to her horse without heeding him, and the
men set the bags on the pack horses.
"See the bridegroom down the street, you who were his witnesses," the
king went on, with a curling lip; "and if you are a wise man, master
Berthun, you will not come back again."
Berthun bowed and went into the hail, past the king, and across to his
own door, without a word. After him the thronging people closed up, and
though I thought that a housecarl would have been sent to see what he
was about, this would have made an open talk, and Alsi forbore.
"Let Havelok take your horse, Mord," I whispered to him; "I will tell
you why directly."
He nodded, and I told Havelok to mount. Then I helped up the nurse, who
wept and muttered to herself; and so we started, Alsi standing on the
steps with words of feigned goodspeed as we did so.
But the housecarls and the people shouted with wishes that were real, no
doubt thinking that we were bound for the far-off kingdom of the prince
who had won Goldberga by service as a kitchen knave in her uncle's hall
for very love of her.
Directly we were outside the gate that leads down the hill, I saw
Withelm, who was there waiting for me, and he knew at once what had
happened.
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